One Year Bible, Sunday, February 20th

Click Here to Listen to the Readings

Leviticus 9:7-10:20

1. Moses was commanded to finish the offerings, first for himself and then for the people. And as we have said every time it says, "just as the Lord commanded". Moses obeyed the Lord, and Aaron obeyed all the Lord commanded Moses to do for the people. Key to all of this was their obedience to the Lord. When they were finished Moses went out to bless the people. Then Moses and Aaron went back into the tabernacle. When they came out it says this,

"Then Moses and Aaron went into the Tabernacle, and when they came back out, they blessed the people again, and the glory of the Lord appeared to the whole community. 24 Fire blazed forth from the Lord’s presence and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When the people saw this, they shouted with joy and fell face down on the ground." 9:23-24

God's presence through Moses and Aaron brought the community great joy and also radical worship, as they fell to the ground. This is a true definition of worship before the Lord, and although it happens different today, the results should be the same. 

2. Up to this point everything had gone according to plan supremely because Aaron and the priests had done everything the Lord commanded to the exact detail. But today we see a different kind of story, and it is a sad one. Aaron's sons disobeyed God's command by burning unauthorized fire in the incense burner. The judgment was immediate and final as the Lord struck both of them dead. Aaron remained silent. 

This seems like a pretty harsh story. And it is, but it teaches us how powerful God's holiness is and how seriously he took sin. We don't know Nadab and Abihu's motive for disobeying the Lord but it obviously showed something in their character. Stories like this are hard to reconcile with a loving and merciful God, but they serve as reminders for us of God's holiness and not to take his commandments lightly. 

3. At end of the reading Aaron did not eat the sin offering, which displeased Moses. Here is a good explanation of what happened.

Aaron did not eat of the sin offering because he mourned the loss of his sons. Though Aaron was not allowed to do any of the other signs of mourning, it was appropriate that he fast on the day of his sons’ death – and so he did, and Moses was satisfied with this explanation (he was content). Guzik

Mark 4:26

1  Jesus continued teaching them using parables  He again used the metaphor of a seed to show how the kingdom grows  The first parable shows how day and night the seed grows without the farmer knowing it. Kingdom grows at the Father’s pace in both parables. Though we plant he makes it grow. 

2. Jesus power in the kingdom also is exerted over nature as he calms the storms. 

3. Finally, Jesus exorcises a demon possessed man.  This demon is called legion because he has a host of demons connected to him. He even asks Jesus to cast him into a herd of swine, which Jesus grants  

As you can see the power and authority of the kingdom coming through Jesus is wide ranging.

Psalms

Proverbs 10:6-7









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